- Bali and Berchtesgaden: Introduction
- Bali and Berchtesgaden: Singapore Airlines First Class Houston to Moscow
- Bali and Berchtesgaden: International Business Lounge Moscow
- Bali and Berchtesgaden: Singapore Airlines First Class Moscow to Singapore
- Bali and Berchtesgaden: Singapore Airlines Business Class Singapore to Bali
- Bali and Berchtesgaden: InterContinental Bali
- Bali and Berchtesgaden: Exploring Bali
- Bali and Berchtesgaden: W Retreat Bali Seminyak
- Bali and Berchtesgaden: Singapore Airlines Business Class Bali to Singapore
- Bali and Berchtesgaden: The Singapore Airlines Private Room Singapore
- Bali and Berchtesgaden: Singapore Airlines First Class Singapore to Frankfurt
- Bali and Berchtesgaden: InterContinental Berchtesgaden & Surrounding Areas
- Bali and Berchtesgaden: Le Meridien Parkhotel Frankfurt
- Bali and Berchtesgaden: Lufthansa First Class Terminal Frankfurt
- Bali and Berchtesgaden: Lufthansa 747-8 First Class Frankfurt to Washington Dulles
- Bali and Berchtesgaden: Westin Washington Dulles Airport
Last summer I stayed at the InterContinental Berchtesgaden for the first time, and fell in love not only with the hotel, but also with the town of Berchtesgaden and the surrounding scenery and towns. I suggest checking out my previous review of the InterContinental Berchtesgaden and recap of Berchtesgaden, as it’s much more detailed than this one will be.
It’s always nice to return to one of your favorite places in the world and find that absolutely nothing changed. Check-in was quick and we were upgraded to the same type of Penthouse Suite as last time (our rate was roughly 200 Euros per night). We were staying for four nights.
Hotel exterior
The Penthouse Suite is a two level suite. On the first level is a desk, sitting area, balcony, and bathroom.
Looking towards the first floor
First floor
First floor
First floor
Bathroom on first floor
View from the balcony
On the second floor is the living room and bedroom, featuring floor to ceiling windows.
Living room
The welcome amenity was also in the living room, consisting of a bottle of wine and some snacks.
Welcome amenity
The bedroom also features floor to ceiling windows.
Bedroom
The master bathroom is huge, though oddly it features big windows as well, which face the interior of the hotel, so it really makes sense to lower the shades before going in there.
Bathroom
Bathroom
The unique thing about the second floor balcony is that it’s really a shared space for all the Penthouse Suites, as there’s no partition between the rooms. Instead you just have a huge open space with views of the surrounding areas.
Second floor balcony
That’s all I’ll say about the hotel, because I think I did it justice in my last review. Suffice to say the service is incredible, the rooms beautiful, and location amazing.
Berchtesgaden is one of my four favorite places on earth, and probably my favorite place to relax. You know those “fresh scent” air fresheners? Well, that’s what the entire area smells like.
The town of Berchtesgaden itself is beautiful, not only in terms of scenery, but it just has such a quaint “small town” feel. There’s a huge pedestrian zone with all kinds of restaurants, shops, etc., where we ate most days. My parents are both from small towns in Germany, so it quite feels like home to me.
Berchtesgaden
In addition to the town there are so many “active” things to do within 15-20 minutes. One of the most amazing things had to be a gondola ride on the “Jennberbahn,” which boasts amazing views of the entire Koenigssee region. I think the pictures below speak for themselves.
View from Jennerbahn
View from Jennerbahn
View from Jennerbahn
At the last stop you can hike up to the top of the mountain, which boasts even more amazing views.
View of Koenigssee region
View of Koenigssee region
Another awesome thing I hadn’t done last time was a tour of the Salt Mine, which is about 10 minutes from Berchtesgaden. Unfortunately photography isn’t allowed in the salt mine, though below is a picture of the “train” you ride to get to the center of it. While it’s a bit “Harry Potter” themed to the extent it feels like more of an amusement park ride than actual tour, it was pretty spectacular nonetheless. Lines were really long, though, given that we went on the day it was raining, along with everyone else in Berchtesgaden, it seemed.
Salt mine tour
Anyway, like last time, let me highly recommend a visit to Berchtesgaden if you have the chance. It’s only about 90 minutes by car (or a little longer by train) from Munich, and only about 30 minutes from Salzburg. No matter what you’re looking for (short of a big city feel), Berchtesgaden has it. Berchtesgaden is such a beautiful town, and there are so many other beautiful towns around it. Then you have hiking, kayaking, salt mine tours, etc. And it’s a good thing they have all those active things, since I was drinking Fanta and eating pretzels as if there was no tomorrow.
I’ll leave it at that, though if anyone has any questions about Berchtesgaden, by all means let me know!
Lucky - Do you know if the Intercontinental Berchtesgaden can be reached by foot or local bus from the train station? Is the town within walking distance from the hotel? Thanks.
@ mangoceviche -- There is a bus, but the town definitely can't be reached by foot. Ultimately it's much easier to drive, but taking a train isn't impossible either.
This being on the list of your 4 favorite places in the world has me convinced I must go. My wife and I will be flying to Munich for Oktoberfest in about 6 weeks and I am adding a night in Berchtesgaden because of how much you carry on about it! Haha. Anything else we should make sure to see while we are there? Will likely swing through Salzburg as well. We are, of course,...
This being on the list of your 4 favorite places in the world has me convinced I must go. My wife and I will be flying to Munich for Oktoberfest in about 6 weeks and I am adding a night in Berchtesgaden because of how much you carry on about it! Haha. Anything else we should make sure to see while we are there? Will likely swing through Salzburg as well. We are, of course, flying back via Lufthansa First Class that I booked pre-devaluation with United miles. (You may not recall, but we had a chat about LH First back at FTU Tampa in the bar late one night...I was the only one besides you that still has a hotmail account). :)
@ Patrick Mc -- Awesome, can't beat that. So happy to hear! In Berchtesgaden I'd do a salt mine tour if you can, visit the Koenigssee, go into town, etc. Should be easy to enjoy. Please let me know how the trip goes! :)
Thanks Lucky. Any hotels you would recommend? Also, stayed at Andaz 5th Ave last month.... Great hotel... thank you.
I'm sold, I may have to make it there next year when I go to Oktoberfest.
@ Iya -- While I think the InterContinental is a good base from which to explore the Koenigssee region and possibly the Salzburg area, Neuschwanstein is a long haul from the InterContinental, so you're probably best off splitting your time a bit.
I am planning a trip to South Bavaria next April, for about 4 nights. Is it worth staying at the Intercontinental all 4 nights given that I plan to see the Neuschwanstein and Linderhof also.
@ theblakefish -- I had a roundtrip between Frankfurt and Munich as part of the award. If you see the intro post I explain it there.
I see that you flew SIN-FRA, but how did you get to MUC/B'gaden?
What a beautiful place. I will put it on my bucket list.
Looks beautiful. Want to visit. Would love to go walk in the footsteps of the heroes of Easy Company. Without them, no amount of natural beauty would compensate for the taint of evil that lived there. No mention, Ben?
I was in Berchtesgaden last week. Travel to this area is not just about seeing the sights, but also about learning about the sights and the role of this region in history (WWII). I highly recommend the guided tour given by www.eagles-nest-tours.com, which takes you to the museum and Nazi bunkers at Obersalzberg and up to the mountaintop "Eagle's Nest", built for Hitler. The tour is 50 Euros, but well worth it for the context...
I was in Berchtesgaden last week. Travel to this area is not just about seeing the sights, but also about learning about the sights and the role of this region in history (WWII). I highly recommend the guided tour given by www.eagles-nest-tours.com, which takes you to the museum and Nazi bunkers at Obersalzberg and up to the mountaintop "Eagle's Nest", built for Hitler. The tour is 50 Euros, but well worth it for the context it gives to the sights. (Without the tour, just the mountain bus from Obersalzberg to the Eagle's Nest is 15.50 Euros). You will learn the fascinating history of the area in which the Intercontinental (which is a very recently constructed building) is situated.
@ BaBaBinx -- Haven't been to Lenggries, though appears they're about two hours apart by car.
Maybe not for everyone, but one of the most exhilarating experiences I had in the Berchtesgaden area was a "toboggan" ride (riding a wheeled "sled" down a mountain side on a rail or in a trough). You can drill down from http://www.duerrnberg.at/ to see the one I went on (actually across the border in Austria on the way to Hallein). I think there are others. All designed to operate in the "summer" (i.e., non-snow times)...
Maybe not for everyone, but one of the most exhilarating experiences I had in the Berchtesgaden area was a "toboggan" ride (riding a wheeled "sled" down a mountain side on a rail or in a trough). You can drill down from http://www.duerrnberg.at/ to see the one I went on (actually across the border in Austria on the way to Hallein). I think there are others. All designed to operate in the "summer" (i.e., non-snow times) only.
The (optional) slides in the Salt Mine are also fun.
Ben, how far is this from Lenggries? I stayed at the Arabella Brauneck Hotel there in June. Though the hotel is spartan, that area is simply amazing and also one of the most beautiful places I've been. I also did a gondola ride very close to that hotel. As always, I love your trip reports!
ahhh...I was here in college with my then boyfriend (now husband). Such great times! Loved the salt mines. Just saying a tour like that would never fly with all the US Safety regulations. Such a great little town!!
Jana